May 3, 2023

By ANNA FELICIA BAJO, GMA Integrated News Published May 3, 2023 9:19am Updated May 3, 2023 12:18pm WASHINGTON — Officials of vaccine manufacturer and Nasdaq-listed Moderna Inc. said it would establish a facility in the Philippines. In a meeting with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Tuesday evening (Manila time), Moderna Chief Commercial Officer Arpa Garay and Senior Vice President and General Manager Patrick Bergstedt said they are set to establish a “Shared Service Facility for Pharmacovigilance,” which will provide more employment opportunities to health professionals in the country. Garay said the Shared Service Facility for Pharmacovigilance in the Philippines would serve the entire Asia Pacific Region, noting the successful public-private partnership between the Philippine government and Moderna that they want to further explore. “We are really excited to have selected the Philippines for the third one primarily because you know the capabilities exist. We have the talent that exists, and we know that the partnership will be one that can be beneficial for both Moderna and the Philippines,” Garay said. In an emailed statement Moderna said it plans to start operations in the Philippines by the third quarter of the year, through the establishment of an Enterprise Solutions Hub in the country. The hub will provide new capabilities, service lines, and capacity to help meet the growth of its commercial and business operations in the Asia Pacific region, Moderna said. It will initially house finance, pharmacovigilance, medical, and human rights personnel, in addition to commercial-focused roles which will support its direct presence in the market, with some 40 to 50 employees in the country within the year. 'Perfect location' Bergstedt said the Philippines is the “perfect location” for their third shared service facility in the world. Once operational, it will be Moderna’s only shared service facility in Asia and the third in the world following Poland and Georgia in the United States. The facility could employ around 50 staff composed of health professionals with their shortlisted office location either in Makati or at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. Marcos then expressed gratitude to Moderna, saying that it will give the country advantage in healthcare. “The opportunity to build shared services in areas of interest, connecting with the scientific, academic opportunity with Moderna, the ministry of health is something that we’re very, very interested in. The most important part is that we sat down and drew the program, and say this is how we approach the problem,” Marcos said. “Those are the kind of skills that we need. With your experience in other countries, there are many lessons that we could learn that can be applied in the Philippines,” he added. — with Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/RSJ/KBK, GMA Integrated News